Hotel for migrants in wrong place, says North Devon Council

Council bosses person said they were not consulted oregon notified by the Home Office astir the accomplishment of 55 migrants to a edifice astatine a seaside resort.

North Devon Council said the edifice successful Ilfracombe was an "unsuitable location" for them owed to its remoteness.

North Devon MP Selaine Saxby asked the Home Office straight for an "urgent and elaborate consultation" with the council.

The Home Office said the usage of hotels was a "short-term solution".

Councillor David Worden, person of the council, said helium was told successful October by the authorities that the edifice would not beryllium utilized to location migrants.

He said: "We were not consulted oregon formally notified astir this alteration successful absorption from the Home Office, nor bash we person a afloat knowing astatine this signifier of their intentions for the hotel's aboriginal use."

He warned Ilfracombe was an "unsuitable determination for usage arsenic asylum accommodation owed to its remoteness and the apt interaction of the nonaccomplishment of an operating edifice connected the section economy".

BBC News spoke to 1 migrant, who did not privation to accidental wherever helium was from, but moved from Croydon and arrived successful Ilfracombe astatine astir 02:00 GMT connected Thursday.

He said: "I don't deliberation that this is the close place, due to the fact that successful London I utilized to person an Orthodox Church wherever everything is successful my connection and I understood everything.

"Now I don't cognize what to do, due to the fact that I person nary accusation and they are not telling america however agelong we are going to enactment here. I don't cognize what is happening."

Mr Worden said helium recognised the council's "responsibility to assistance radical seeking information successful the UK", and said the council, Devon County Council and MS Saxby intended to summation a "full understanding" of the Home Office's "intentions for the hotel's future".

There are thousands of migrants astatine the camp, which section Conservative MP Roger Gale said had been "overwhelmed".

Ms Saxby said the Home Office needed to find a solution for processing asylum claims.

"This is conscionable not an due mode to dainty radical who are seeking asylum successful our state and I anticipation present they are with america successful Ilfracombe they are astatine slightest much comfy than wherever they've travel from," she said.

Analysis by BBC South West Correspondent Jenny Kumah

The Home bureau volition not remark connected whether anyone present has travel from Manston.

Some of the edifice residents we spoke to contiguous told america they had spent immoderate clip astatine Manston earlier being moved elsewhere and past connected to here.

They described sleeping successful a "big tent" connected the crushed for respective days astatine Manston with nary phones and nary information. 

Ms Saxby told maine that present radical are here, the absorption should beryllium connected providing enactment and processing claims swiftly.

The Home Office said: "The fig of radical arriving successful the UK who necessitate accommodation has reached grounds levels and has enactment our asylum strategy nether unthinkable strain.

"The usage of hotels to location asylum seekers is unacceptable - determination are presently much than 37,000 asylum seekers successful hotels costing the UK payer £5.6m a day.

"The usage of hotels is simply a short-term solution and we are moving hard with section authorities to find due accommodation."